A Board Member of the National Peace Council, Magdalene Kannae, has called on the public to avoid hate speeches and discourage violence in any form ahead of the 2024 general elections.

She said the 2024 election has different and special dynamics that need to be understood.

She noted the two major political parties - National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) had keen interests and there was a need to work together to ensure that their activities did not mar the election and jeopardise the peace of the country.

“We all know the stake up for the ticket. With the two big political parties wanting to come to power, one is saying that we want to break the eight and the other is saying it is ok, go and let us come.

"So it is like a tug of war with each of them pulling and wanting to win, and we all must avoid hate speeches and discourage violence towards the election," she stated.

Madam Kannae made the call when she addressed opinion leaders, youth groups, women, and other minority groups at a two-day workshop on conflict resolution in Zebilla in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region.

The engagement aimed at enhancing their capacities to detect and address the root causes of localized and spillover conflicts and vulnerabilities in their communities.

It formed part of the project dubbed “Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through Empowering Women and Youth in Northern Ghana” being implemented by the Peace Council in Bawku West, Garu, and Bongo Districts of the Upper East Region. 

It is being funded by the United Nations (UN) Peace Building Fund through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA). 

Labilla James Agogo, the Assemblyman of Sapeliga Electoral Area, said the capacity-building workshop was "top notch and revealing," stressing that the Peace Council and donors of the peacebuilding project ought to be applauded for inculcating in them the need for peace. 

"They have made us understand and appreciate that the Fulbes are not our enemies, as we may perceive, and that alone means everything to us because of the seasonal problems we have with them.

“From the look of things, we can live in harmony, and they can actually be helpful to us," he emphasised.